Many of you may or may not know but the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness. In order to celebrate and raise awareness many organizations have been doing their part to raise awareness. Some of these events include presenting a variety of events from programs, to a fashion show, which was held recently. Although, I would love for everyone to take part in some of these events that have been going and will continue to happen on campus as well as off, I’m here to speak to about doing daily checks on oneself. Most of you I’m sure by around this age of begun or have already been sexually active, and as such raised the need to become much more in tune with your body. By this age it is time to not just check for sexually transmitted illnesses it’s also time to check for illnesses such as breast cancer.
“Medical organizations don’t all agree” on which type of “breast self-exams” (WebMD) to perform, but doing at one of the them could only be useful. One of the methods that women could use to check would be the classic check in the mirror in which women would look for discoloration, lumps, liquid discharge, and/or any other changes to your breasts. This could all be done by being naked from the waist up and using a long mirror in a well lit room. Then all you have to do is tighten your breast muscles and check in a circular motion for any abnormalities on your breast. Although this is a quick easy method that most women do, the most effective method would be by having a mammogram done of your breast and/or a clinical exam from a medical professional.
As much as I think that this is one of the more simple and less costly methods I have found that no many women within their traditional college years ever really check themselves like this, even though according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention have stated that breast cancer is one of the most common cancer among women, despite race or ethnicity. Despite, the popular belief that we’re invincible, “In 2011, 40,931 women and 443 men in the United States” (CDC) passed away due to breast cancer. I don’t mean to scary you but why not be proactive and try to make this an everyday routine. This way if the time comes that you do find something you’ll be able to diagnose it quicker and seek treatment as soon as possible, providing a greater chance of overcoming it. Remember, we want to save the boobies.
Image Found: http://magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/SpecialOccasions/BreastCancer/bc9.jpg
Resources: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/breast-self-exam ;